CEO of touring helicopter which crashed into Hudson River killing six people breaks silence
The CEO of New York Helicopter has spoken out in 'devastation' after one of the touring company's helicopters crashed in the Hudson River, killing all six onboard.
Yesterday (April 10), at around 3:15pm Eastern Time, a Bell 206 LongRanger helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York City after taking off from a Manhattan heliport on a sightseeing tour.
A rescue team rushed to the river and divers managed to retrieve four people - two of whom were alive - however, they later died from their injuries, with all six people onboard the aircraft ultimately passing away.
Those onboard have since been identified as a Spanish family of two adults - husband Siemens executive Agustin Escobar and wife, global manager at an energy technology company Mercè Camprubí Montal - and three children alongside the helicopter's pilot, whose name has not yet been disclosed by authorities.
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The owner of the aircraft and the helicopter tour company - New York Helicopter - Michael Roth, told The Telegraph the pilot 'called in that he was landing and that he needed fuel' and would return to the helipad, but the helicopter ultimately never returned.
The 71-year-old said: "It should have taken him about three minutes to arrive, but 20 minutes later, he didn’t arrive."
"I got a call from my manager and my downtown heliport and she said she heard there was a crash, and then my phone blew up from everybody," he continued. "Then one of my pilots flew over the Hudson and saw the helicopter upside down."
Roth explained 'every employee in [the] company is devastated' and his 'wife has not stopped crying'.
He resolved: "We’re all devastated. [...] The death of the child of any human being, is a monumental disaster."
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal has since called for a ban on sightseeing helicopter tours.
As quoted by ABC 7 New York, he said: "We averted disaster possibly by just minutes. And that is the concern here. Which is if a helicopter gets in trouble in a densely populated area like Manhattan, the disaster could be far worse.
"There's no reason to allow tourists and tour flight operators to use our valuable precious airspace.
"The danger is that FAA regulates airspace above 500 feet, so the city and state are prohibited from passing laws that make tourist choppers safer."
The New York City Fire Department stated in a post to Twitter the National Transportation Safety board and the FBI are investigating the cause of the crash.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
Topics: US News
Poppy Bilderbeck